United States healthcare reform may impact medical tourism in Thailand

The long-awaited United States healthcare reform package became law last week. Asian hospitals treating American medical travelers will have to wait longer to see whether the bill will have a significant impact on their businesses, but US insurers will feel the reforms' impact more quickly, and that could lead them to look more closely at international options.

By Muhammad Cohen

“Greater coverage for more Americans presumably would mean fewer Americans would need to travel abroad for care,” Bangkok Hospital international marketing manager, Judy Mitchell, said.

However, Mitchell's colleague at Thailand’s largest hospital group, Bangkok Hospital international medical are coordinator, Dr Michael Moreton, said, “Hardly anybody knows exactly what is in the bill, then what is doable, how the states will react, and so forth – it is a crap shoot.”